Blending apparatus for draw frame



Dec. 11, 1962 sHozo NODA 3,067,471

BLENDING APPARATUS FOR DRAW FRAME Filed Nov. 17, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Dec. 11, 1962 sHozo NODA 3,067,471

BLENDING APPARATUS FOR DRAW FRAME Filed Nov. 17. 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fi gb 4A United States Patent Office 3,067,471 Patented Dec. 11, 19-52 3,067,471 BLENDING APPARATUS FOR DRAW FRAME Shozo Noda, Nishi-ku, Nagoya-511i, Japan, assignor to Howa Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (known as Howa Machinery, Ltd), Aichi-ken, Japan, a joint-stock company of Japan Filed Nov. 17, 1959, Ser. No. 853,591 Claims priority, application Japan Nov. 21, 1958 3 Claims. (Cl. 19-243) This invention relates to draw frames used in the processing of slivers of natural and synthetic fibers and the like and more particularly it relates to a blending apparatus for a draw frame.

It is an object of this invention to provide a blending apparatus whereby blended slivers of superior blend quality may be produced.

It is another object of this invention to provide a blending apparatus whereby such blended slivers of superior blend quality may be produced in a one step process.

With the recent developments in the textile industry, the demand for improved techniques in blending different kinds of fibers, for example: natural fibers and synthetic fibers, has correspondingly increased, and textile products with novel properties are being made. In the spinning process involving such blending, the above different kinds of fibers are mixed, and one of the most economical and most practical methods for this mixing is the sliver mixing process in a draw frame.

In the conventional draw frame processes used heretofore, slivers of different kinds are arranged side by side in parallel, fed to one pair of draft assemblies, and drafted in these assemblies, whereby a fleece of blended fiber is obtained. This fleece is then condensed and formed into a single sliver.

In this case, the said fleece is produced in a condition wherein the different kinds of fibers are segregated into their respective regions equivalent to the arrangement condition of the fed sliver. The blended sliver is formed by a method in which the said sliver is condensed into a round form. Accordingly, the distribution of the fibers in the cross section of the said sliver is in' a pattern of relatively large masses of segregated fibers.

If a very thin fleece of 100% natural fiber and a very thin fleece of synthetic fiber, after having been made to mutually lap in laminar juxtaposition, could be condensed into a round form, the cross section of the resulting sliver would have a fiber distribution which is a collection of extremely fine filaments, and would be in a blended condition which is substantially better than that of the aforementioned, conventional blended sliver. The thinner each of the fleece conditions is, the more pronounced would this effect be. In this case, it is desirable that the fleece thicknesses be even thinner than those handled by the conventional ribbon lap machines. However, if such a thin fleece were to be handled in a conventional ribbon lap machine, the fleece would have a tendency to break out, because it would be necessary for it to slide over a curved curl plate of steel and its traveling against breakage must depend on the intertwining of its fibers themselves. Therefore, the thickness of such a fleece cannot be reduced to an extreme value in the conventional apparatus.

By the apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to superimpose in lap juxtaposition, without the occurrence of the above inconvenience, two fleece ribbons which are so thin as to make their handling by conventional machines unteasible.

The effectiveness of the present invention is such that it is possible to produce, by only one process through the draw frame of the present invention, a sliver having blend characteristics which are superior to those of a sliver produced by blending in a two-process draw frame of the conventional type with upwardly of eight ends.

Another inconvenience which has been associated with the conventional draw frames is that, when slivers of different fibers are to be fed to a pair of draft assembliss and drafted together, the most suitable settings of such factors as the spaces between the various sets of rolls of the said assemblies, the draft rate, and the type of draft assemblies, become a problem. For example: if a cotton sliver and a synthetic fiber sliver are to be fed, setting of the various factors at their respectively optimum values for the cotton sliver would unavoidably cause them to be unsatisfactory, or not completely satisfactory, for the synthetic fiber sliver, and a fully satisfactory condition of the draft sliver in regard to the synthetic fiber would be unattainable.

According to this invention, however, as will be under-' stood from the illustration as shown in the drawings, only one kind of the slivers, for example, only a cotton sliver is fed to the left side of a draft assembly and such conditions as the draft assembly system, draft rate, and roll settings of the left side are set at their respectively optimum values for the said cotton sliver; simultaneously, only a synthetic fiber sliver is fed to the right side and the operating conditions of the right side is similarly set at their respectively optimum values for the said synthetic fiber sliver; and then the drafted fleeces which have been drafted at their optimum conditions are subjected to blending operation to produce one blended sliver. As a result, the blenled sliver produced in this manner is extremely satisfactory in all respects.

The details of the invention will be more clearly apparent by reference to the following detailed description of a few representative embodiments of the invention when taken in connection with the accompanying illustrations in which: 7

,FIG. l -is a' schematic, side elevation view showing one embodiment of the apparatus suitable for use in ac-.

cordance with this invention; FIG. 2 is a front elevational view illustrating the process of condensing the blended fleece into a sliver as it travels from calender rolls to a trumpet,'according to the invention;

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing one practical arrangement of the apparatus of this invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic, perspective view illustrating one representative arrangement of the drive mechanism which is a special characteristic of this invention,

In the above drawings, the same reference numerals have been used throughout to designate, respectively, the same or equivalent parts.

The basic mechanical structure of the invention comprises front rolls of any pair of arbitrary draft assemblies, disposed face to face with a pair of calender rolls disposed therebetween, the mutual dispositions of the parts being such that the said front rolls are as near to the calender rolls as possible; a device below the calender rolls for condensing the fleece to form a sliver; and preferably a coiling means depending on'the requirements. Such a mechanical structure is probably the most practical although the invention is not limited thereto.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, front rolls 2 and 2a are disposed in positions as close as-possible to a-pair of calender rolls 1 and 1a. A trumpet 5 and calender rolls 6 and 6a are disposed below said calender rolls 1 and 1a, and a coiler tube gear mechanism 7 is installed thereunder.

Let it be now supposed that A is a cotton stock and B acc 71 is a synthetic fiber stock. The cotton sliver A stored within a can 9 is drawn up by detaching rolls 4 and fed to back rolls 3. It is then drafted between the back rolls 3 and front rolls 2 to become cotton fleece A'a, which is then delivered from the front rolls 2. Similarly, the synthetic fiber sliver B is fed from a can 19 to the back rolls 3a, drafted between the rolls 3a and front rolls 2a to become synthetic fiber fleece Ba, and delivered from the rolls 2a. During this process, making the widths of both fleeces equal is the most practical procedure. These fleeces Aa and Ba in sheet form, retaining their original form, are run over a small gap and conveyed over the arcuate surfaces of the calender rolls 1 and 1a to the contact line 11 between the calender rolls, where the fleeces Aa and Ba are lapped. Thereupon, the lapped fleeces are passed through the trumpet 5 and are drawn by the calender rolls 6 and 6a, Where the fleeces are made to assume a triangular fleece condition Aa-l-Ba as illustrated in FIG. 2. At this point, Aa-l-Ba becomes a blended sliver of cotton and synthetic fiber, which is then delivered into a can 8 with the aid of the coiling mechanism 7.

The unique and significant characteristics of such a mechanical system as described above are that: traveling of each of the fleeces Aa and Ba, delivered from the front rolls 2 and 2a, unsupported through empty space is minimized; the said fleeces are thereby enabled to maintain fully their original states even though their thicknesses are so thin that they are easily broken. They are then immediately received by the surfaces of the calender rolls 1 and 1a, which revolve in such a manner as not to impart any stretching tension on the said fleeces, but protectively guide the fleeces to the blending point 11; and yet there is absolutely no necessity of changing the direction of travel of the said individual fleeces as in the case of a conventional ribbon lap machine.

The above characteristics cannot be anticipated by the lap mix methods used heretofore. Moreover, these characteristics make possible the production, in solely one process pass, of a sliver of a blending condition of such a superiority that was, of course, not even thought of in the conception of the conventional sliver mix methods utilizing draw frames arranged side by side.

Accordingly, in comparison with the conventional apparatus, it is possible with the apparatus of this invention to attain equivalent blending quality with fewer process steps; or, with the same number of process steps, to obtain an end product with decidedly superior blending quality.

The abovementioned characteristics are effective not only in the case of blending different material stocks as described above, but also in the general case of mixing or blending materials of different properties or conditions, for example, various kinds of dyed stocks, in which case the production of an end product with extremely uniform mixing is greatly facilitated.

As illustrated by the example in FIG. 1, two assemblies of differing draft systems, that is, the draft assembly for drafting a cotton sliver A and that for drafting a synthetic fiber sliver B, are employed. This feature enables the draft assembly on one side to be free of limitations imposed by the other side as previously mentioned. That is, it is possible to select freely the optimum system, draft rate, and roll settings for, for example, cotton A; while the same is true for the synthetic fiber B on the other side. With the conventional mechanisms it is possible to utilize none or very few of the above-mentioned unique and advantageous features.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example of what is probably the most practical mechanical disposition of the apparatus of this invention. The arrangement of parts in the process direction from and including the back rolls 3 and 3m is exactly the same as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but therebefore, the directions of the slivers are turned through 90 degrees by curl plates 12 and 12a. Fig. 3 illustrates an example of the dispositions of cans for feed- 4 ing six slivers to each of the left side and right side draft assemblies and of the draft units.

FIG. 4 illustrates one example representative of the gearing which is characteristic of this invention. Rotational driving power is transmitted from a motor 15 by a V belt 16 to a counter shaft 17, wherefrom it is transmitted by a sprocket wheel 18 and a chain 19 to driven sprockets 2t) and 200. From a driving sprocket wheel 21 fixed to the shaft of the said sprocket 20, the power is transmitted by a chain 22 to rotate a driven sprocket wheel 23. A gear 24 fixed to the shaft 123 of the driven sprocket 23 is thereby made to transmit power to a gear 25, with which it is engaged. The power is then transmitted through the calender roll shaft 101, to which the said gear 25 is fixed, to rotate a calender roll 1. Power is transmitted from the shaft 101 also through gears 26 and 26a to a calender roll shaft ltila, thereby rotating a calender roll 1a. On the other hand, the aforementioned gear 25 also drives another gear 27 which is fixed to a counter shaft 127, to which a gear 28 is also fixed. Thus, a part of the driving power is transmitted from the gear 25, through the gear 27 and shaft 127, to the gear 28, which is meshed with and drives a gear 29 which is fixed to a front roll shaft 102 of a front roll 2, which is thus made to rotate. In general, the mechanical relationships of the drive system described above are normally so set that the surface speed of the calender roll 1 is very sligh ly higher than that of front roll 2.

On the other hand, driving power is transmitted from the aforementioned gear 24, through an idler gear 28a enmeshed with the gear 24, and through a front roll gear 290, to the shaft of another front roll 2a to rotate the front roll 2a. As the front rolls 2 and 2a are each driven by driving the gear 24 through an independent gear train, it is possible to select at will ratio of the surface speed of each of the front rolls 2 and 2a to the surface speed of each of the calender rolls 1 and 1a.

Driving power is further transmitted from the aforementioned sprocket shaft 120, through a gear 30 and a gear train 31, 32 and 33, to a sprocket wheel 34, then through a chain 35, through a back roll sprocket 36, to a back roll shaft 103, thereby rotating a back roll 3. In this mechanical drive train, the gear ratios should be such that the surface speed of the back roll 3 and that of the front roll 2 are at the required rate with slow rotation, and this rate can be changed by varying the number of teeth of the draft change gear 32. On the other hand, the draft gearing from the sprocket wheel 20a with respect to another back roll 3a is exactly equivalent. The members 31a, 32a, 33a, 34a, and 36a correspond, respectivcly, to the members 31, 32, 33, 34 and 36 as described above. As can be seen in these gear trains, the draft rate of the back roll 3 side and that of the back roll 3a side can be set independently of one another by draft change gears 32 and 32a, respectively. Such a drive system is another novel feature of this invention. In the apparatus of FIG. 4, the can table for rotating the can to which the sliver is put in is indicated by the reference 9a.

While particular embodiments of the invention have been described, it will, of course, be understood that the invention is not to be limited thereto, since many modifications may be made and it is contemplated, therefore, by the appended claims to cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for blending natural and synthetic fibers comprising, two independent draft assemblies, means for delivering fiber slivers to said draft assemblies independently of each other, a pair of driven cooperative calender rolls, each of said assemblies having a set of driven front rolls and a set of driven back rolls, said sets of front rolls being disposed with the rolls thereof substantially longitudinally parallel to said calender rolls and disposed vertically spaced therefrom in position to deliver drafted fibers in the form of a sheet of fabric to said calender rolls for blending thereby, whereby fibers are delivered from said assemblies to said calender rolls and are blended without a change of direction of travel from the assemblies to said calender rolls, and drive means comprising draft change gear means for variably driving the sets of driven back rolls of each draft assembly independently.

2. Apparatus for blending natural and synthetic fibers comprising, two independent draft assemblies, means for delivering fiber slivers to said draft assemblies independently of each other, a pair of driven cooperative calender rolls, each of said assemblies having a set ofdriven front rolls and at least one other pair of rolls cooperative with a respective set of front rolls in tandem therewith and delivering fiber slivers thereto, said sets of front rolls being disposed with the rolls thereof substantially longitudinally parallel to said calender rolls, said front rolls and calender rolls being arranged in tandem with said calender rolls disposed between said sets of front rolls, each of said sets of front rolls being disposed vertically spaced from said calender rolls in position to deliver drafted fibers in the form of a sheet of fabric to said calender rolls for blending thereby, a trumpet disposed to receive the blended fibers from said calender rolls, and other driven calender rolls to draw the fabric sheet through said trumpet whereby fibers are delivered from said assemblies to said calender rolls and are blended without a change of direction of travel from the assemblies to said calender rolls.

3. Apparatus for blending natural and synthetic fibers comprising, two independent draft assemblies, means for delivering fiber slivers to said draft assemblies independently of each other, a pair of driven cooperative calender rolls, each of said assemblies having a set of driven front rolls, said sets of front rolls being disposed with the rolls thereof substantially longitudinally parallel to said calender rolls, said front rolls and calender rolls being arranged in tandem with said calender rolls disposed between said sets of front rolls, each of said sets of front rolls being disposed vertically spaced from said calender rolls in position to deliver drafted fibers in the form of a sheet of fabric to said calender rolls for blending thereby, a trumpet disposed beneath said calender rolls to receive the blended fibers from said calender rolls, and a coiling mechanism comprising other driven calender rolls to draw the fabric sheet through said trumpet in a straight path from the first-mentioned calender rolls, whereby fibers are delivered from said assemblies to said firstmentioned calender rolls and are blended without a change of direction of travel from the assemblies to said first-mentioned calender rolls.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,722,006 Nigrin et al July 23, 1929 2,025,394 Langen Dec. 24, 1935 FOREIGN PATENTS 498,100 Germany May 17, 1930 10,106 Great Britain of 844 744,956 Great Britain Feb. 15, 1956 

